# Mercyhurst University

Mercyhurst University is a private Catholic university in Erie, Pennsylvania, United States.

## History

On September 20, 1926, Mercyhurst College opened its doors just a few blocks away from the city's southern boundary. It was founded by the Sisters of Mercy of the Diocese of Erie, who were led by Borgia Egan, who became the first president of Mercyhurst College. The college received its charter on October 5, 1928.
In 1963, the college prep department separated to form Mercyhurst Preparatory School, which is located behind the university. On February 3, 1969, the board of trustees voted to make Mercyhurst a coed college. From its foundation in 1926 until 1972, members of the Sisters of Mercy had been presidents of the college. After 1972, lay presidents led the college. On March 27, 1991, Mercyhurst purchased the 100-year-old Redemptorist Seminary in North East and turned it into a branch campus, offering associate degrees and one-year certificates.
Among its five campuses, enrollment has grown to over 4,000 students instructed by 168 faculty. The endowment has increased to more than $20 million and its budget is more than $85 million.
The Mary D'Angelo Performing Arts Center opened in February 1996. Then, in fall 2002, the $7.5 million Audrey Hirt Academic Center opened on the southeast edge of campus, a building funded largely through the college's $22.8 million capital campaign.
In August 2005, the $5 million Michele and Tom Ridge Health and Safety Building was dedicated at Mercyhurst North East. A $1.3 million residential apartment complex also opened in time for the North East campus' academic year.
Also in 2005, the board of trustees authorized the purchase of 400 acres (1.6 km$^2$) in Girard as the first step towards developing Mercyhurst West, a two-year college serving western Erie County, northwestern Crawford County and northeastern Ohio. The board of trustees elected Dr. Thomas J. Gamble as the 11th president of Mercyhurst College. Dr. Gamble, who previously served as vice president of academic affairs at the college, assumed the presidency March 1, 2006.
The construction of a $14 million freshman residence hall began in fall 2008, and the hall opened in the fall of 2009. Frances Warde Hall, a 100,000 sq ft (9,300 m$^2$) building, houses 318 students.
Opened in September 2012 is the Center for Academic Engagement, a four-story, 31,000-square-foot (2,900 m$^2$) building that will be set into the rolling hill north of Hammermill Library and feature a skywalk over East Main Drive to connect the two facilities. The building, which boasts many green technologies, houses classrooms and lab space for two of Mercyhurst's signature programs—Intelligence Studies and Hospitality Management—as well as the Evelyn Lincoln Institute for Ethics and Society and the Mercyhurst Center for Applied Politics (MCAP). On January 25, 2012, Mercyhurst College officially became Mercyhurst University.
The Board of Trustees of Mercyhurst University appointed Michael T. Victor as the 12th president of Mercyhurst University on May 19, 2015. Victor had served as president of Lake Erie College since 2006. Victor served as dean of the Walker School of Business at Mercyhurst from 2002 to 2006. He took office on August 3, 2015.
On August 16, 2018, Mercyhurst University opened a $25 million residence hall. Ryan Hall houses more than 350 student suites. It also includes a dining hall, lounge area, convenience store, and a 150-seat banquet hall.

### Sexual assault allegations

On October 10, 2004, the Erie Times-News published a story stating that former president William Garvey molested grade school boys while serving as a basketball coach at St. John the Baptist Catholic Church in Erie. The article further stated that "two current Erie residents told the Erie Times-News that Garvey paid them to have sex with him in the early to mid-1980s, when both men were minors." On December 17 the paper reported that Garvey "abruptly announced his retirement Thursday, months before the completion of a college-ordered investigation Garvey had predicted would exonerate him."
Several months after Garvey retired, an investigation conducted by retired Erie County Judge Michael Palmisano, at the instruction of the board of trustees, determined that the allegations against Garvey "appear[ed] to have merit". The campus' central park was once named "Garvey Park" in honor of Garvey, but following the allegations was renamed to "Trinity Green".

## Campus

The university formerly had a branch campus located 18 miles (29 km) away in North East, Pennsylvania at the site of the former St. Mary's Seminary. It offered associates degrees, but was closed at the end of the 2020-2021 academic year.
The university has also operated Mercyhurst Corry, a school offering an associate degree in business administration, for over 25 years.
The university's fifth campus, Mercyhurst West, was located in Girard, Pennsylvania, at the site of the former Faith Lutheran Church. Classes began at this location in fall 2006. Due to low enrollment, the campus closed at the end of the 2013–2014 school year.

## Academics

Enrollment at Mercyhurst University's Erie campus is nearly 4,500 students. The university formerly was on a trimester calendar and moved to a 4–1–4 calendar for the 2013–2014 school year. Currently, the university is on a traditional semester calendar. It has more than 57 undergraduate degrees and almost 25 percent of the student body chooses to study abroad. Undergraduate students at Mercyhurst all complete the REACH curriculum, which stands for Reason and Faith, Expression and Creativity, Analytical Thought, Contexts and Systems, and Humans in Connection.
The university is organized into four colleges:
* The Hafenmaier College of Humanities, Arts, and Social Sciences
* The Walker College of Business
* The Zurn College of Natural and Health Sciences
* The Ridge College of Intelligence Studies & Applied Sciences

## Athletics

Mercyhurst University competes in the Northeast Conference. Around 15 percent of the student body consists of student-athletes.
National championships
* 1976: Men's tennis – NAIA
* 2004: Women's rowing (team champion) – NCAA Division II
* 2005: Men's rowing (4+ open) – ECAC National Champion
* 2009: Josh Shields (165 lbs), wrestling – NCAA Division II
* 2010: Women's rowing (8+ champion) – NCAA Division II
* 2011: Men's lacrosse – NCAA Division II
Non-varsity sports
    American Collegiate Hockey Association (ACHA) – Divisions I and III
* Men's ice hockey (College Hockey Mid-America)

## Partnership in Ireland

Dungarvan in Ireland is the sister city of Erie. MU ran several Global Intelligence Forum in Dungarvan during the 2010s.
Each spring, MU students and faculty spend a term in Dungarvan as part of MU’s Study Abroad scheme.
MU has established its first international base in Dungarvan; the base includes MU's European Centre for Intelligence Research, Analytics and Training.

## Alumni

* Meghan Agosta, Olympic ice-hockey player
* Dan Altavilla, professional baseball player
* Polly Bukta, member of the Iowa House of Representatives
* Joan Chittister, author and member of the Benedictine Sisters of Erie, Pennsylvania, serving as prioress for 12 years
* John Reilly Costello, professional baseball player
* John Deasy, Irish Fine Gael politician
* James "Buster" Douglas, 1981–1999, professional heavyweight boxer
* Pat Harkins, member of the Pennsylvania House of Representatives (2007–present).
* Matthew Hatchette, professional football player
* Rob Keefe, professional football coach
* David Emmer Lee, professional baseball player
* David Lough, professional baseball player
* Anthony Maher, professional soccer player
* Mike McLellan, professional lacrosse player
* Patrick Merrill, professional lacrosse player
* Terry Smith, professional basketball player.
* Brandon Staley, professional football coach